The Night Guard's Daughter
by LuvDanceGirl
Summary: Samantha "Sam" Daley is Larry's daughter and Nicky's older sister. How will she affect the adventures that will occur at the American Museum of Natural History? Will take place through all three movies and the years in between that the movies don't go into detail about. Eventual Akmenrah/OC. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I hope you enjoy the story! Reviews are appreciated and welcomed! **

**Shout-out to my best friend, Hannah, for giving me feedback on this story and for always supporting me! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the original plot of the Night at the Museum movies. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

On a winter Tuesday morning, I was putting in a pair of silver hoop earrings when I heard a knock on my bedroom door. "Come in," I called. The door opened to reveal my nine year old little brother, Nicky.

"Hey Sam, are you ready to go?" asked Nicky.

"Almost," I replied. "I just have to throw on a scarf and put my boots on."

Nicky groaned and flopped onto my bed, "You take forever getting ready. Seriously, what do you do?"

"Lots of stuff. I don't just roll out of bed looking this nice."

"That's for sure," teased Nicky. I whacked his face with my scarf as I walked towards my closet to grab my shoes. Down the hallway, we could hear our mom, Erica, and her fiancé, Don, talking to each other.

"I'm so excited that I get to talk to Nicky's class about my job for Career Day tomorrow!" exclaimed my mom. "First, he went to your office last week and now he'll hear about other people's jobs. I think it will be a really good experience for him."

"I'm happy that he came with me," said Don. "I was able to show Little Man the secrets of the bond trading business!"

I glanced over at Nicky. "Did you tell Dad about Career Day?"

He just shrugged, "Nope."

"Why not?"

"It's not like he has a career to talk about," muttered Nicky.

As if on cue, Mom and Don began to talk about my dad, "You know, I wish Larry would just find a job and keep it for more than three months," said Mom. "This is getting ridiculous and I know it's impacting Sam and Nicky."

"Is he still trying to do stuff with his inventions?" inquired Don.

Mom sighed and began, "Yes, of course he is. Ever since I met him, Larry has had these schemes that he thinks will be so successful and popular that he'll earn a ton money off of it and start a business around it. He's very creative, I'll give him that, but it's time that he finds a fallback."

_They're not _schemes _Mom. They're _inventions, I thought to myself.

"What's a fallback?" asked Nicky.

"A fallback is like a Plan B," I explained, "in this case, Mom thinks that Dad needs to find a different career path."

Nicky nodded in understanding. "Are you ready now, _Samantha_?" he asked me.

I shot him a look. "Using my full name does not make me go any faster; however, yes, I just so happen to be ready."

We grabbed our backpacks and left my room. "Bye Mom! Bye Don!" yelled Nicky, heading for the door.

Mom walked up to us and kissed our cheeks like she's done since Kindergarten. "Have a good day you two! Learn something new!" She's said that since Kindergarten too. Turning to me she said, "Stay near him as you walk to school."

That prompted both Nicky and me to roll our eyes. "Mom!" I cried, exasperatedly, "Our schools are three blocks away, and we've been walking to and from school on our own since I entered middle school. He always stays within eyesight of me. Nothing bad is going to happen to him."

"Besides, I can take care of myself!" declared Nicky proudly.

Mom chuckled, "Hey I'm your mom. It's my job to be worried."

As we left our apartment, Don yelled a goodbye to us. Nicky and I stepped into the elevator to go down to the small lobby of the complex. "Hey Sam?" asked Nicky.

"Yeah?"

"You're not going to tell Dad about Career Day, are you?"

"You know he's going to find out one way or another. Tomorrow's Wednesday so we're going to see him, and he'll wonder why we have a half day of school," I pointed out.

"No, I meant are you going to tell him that I purposefully didn't mention it to him?"

I sighed, "No Nicky I won't. It's your business, not mine."

Then, the elevator doors opened to reveal my best friends, Ashley Mitchell and Justin Turner, standing in the lobby. I've known Ashley since I was two years old. Her family lives in an apartment at the top level of the complex, two floors above us. I met Justin in sixth grade during band class. Our love of music bonded us together, so I introduced him to Ashley and the three of us have been friends ever since. He lives only a couple blocks away, so he always meets up to walk with us on the way to school.

"Hey Sam!" greeted Justin. "Ready for the Biology test today?"

"I guess," I said. Once we left the building, we fell into our usual line as we headed to school, Justin on my left and Ashley on my right. Nicky had already ran ahead to catch up with the two friends he walks with.

"Are you okay?" questioned Justin. "You seem kind of off."

"My mother's just annoying me," I answered.

"Is she being annoying like a typical mom, or is she annoying you about your dad?" asked Ashley.

"Both, but mostly over my dad. Nicky and I could hear her talking to Don about how she thinks Dad needs to find a "fallback". She also called his inventions schemes," I explained.

"Aww but your dad's inventions are so cool!" cried Justin. I remember going over to your apartment during the year we met, right before your parents split, and you and I would watch him work on his latest idea."

I smiled at the memories he was talking about. "I know! I always loved to watch him work on an invention. He would even let me help him, even though we figured out very early on that I am not good with tools."

We all laughed, then Ashley asked, "Is Nicky doing ok about what you're mom said?"

I responded, "Well, I had to explain to him what a fallback is. Otherwise, he didn't say much. I've been noticing though that he's been looking up to Don a lot lately and looking down on Dad. He went to Don's office last week and apparently had a really good time. He was going on and on about his job and his big office and stuff."

"Well, Don doesn't seem like a bad guy," said Ashley.

"I never said he was. He's a nice guy, but he's not my dad," I clarified.

Justin and Ashley nodded. Then, I felt Justin put his arm around my shoulders and give me a quick squeeze, "Don't worry so much about this. Your dad will figure things out," he assured me.

* * *

><p>The next day at school was absolutely crazy. You would think that we would do less work since it was a half day, but I happened to have the teachers that try cram as much as they can in a significantly less amount of time. On top of that, three people got injured in gym class because the boys were rowdier than usual.<p>

After all of that, I was glad to be home and playing my instruments. Music was a huge part of my life. Besides playing the clarinet in band class, I also sang soprano in the advanced choir at my school, and I took piano and violin lessons. I've played the piano, which is my favorite instrument, since I was five and the violin since I was eight. I always practiced my music after I finished homework and I often ended up by playing a bunch of my favorite songs just for fun.

I was currently playing Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag on the piano. I love this song because it's so upbeat and fun to play. As I lost myself in the music, I could vaguely hear my mom in the kitchen tapping her foot along to the beat, but all other sounds were completely tuned out. When I finished, Mom applauded.

"That was awesome Sam!" she complemented. As I thanked her, the doorbell rang, and I knew it was Dad coming to pick Nicky and me up.

I put away my music books as Mom answered the door. She greeted my dad, and then I heard him ask, "Why didn't anyone tell me it was Career Day?"

"What do you mean? Nicky said he was going to tell you," my mom said. I inwardly sighed but didn't say anything like Nicky wanted.

"Oh, okay. I guess he forgot. Wait, why didn't Sam tell me?"

"She's in high school Larry; they don't have Career Day. She still got out early though because of faculty meetings," explained Mom.

I stepped out of the living and walked up to my dad to give him a hug. "Hey Dad!" I said.

He hugged me back. "Hey Sam! You know, since Nicky has to be at the ice rink an hour early to warm up for his hockey game, I thought you and I could go to that coffee shop that's a block down from the rink," he suggested.

"I'd like that," I replied. Then, Don chose to come out and say his hellos.

"Uh-oh! There he is!" called Don with a smile. "How are you Larry?"

"Good. How you doing Don?" asked Dad.

Don took a sip from his coffee mug that he was holding. "Good," he said while swallowing. "Can you believe this weather we're having? Chilly, right? Chilly, chilly, Chilly Willy the Penguin." I refrained myself from rolling my eyes.

Then, Don's cell phone rang and we all glanced at it and the numerous amount of other devices that were clipped to his belt. "Oops, that's my phone," said Don. "Why don't I tell the little corncob you're here?" he asked Larry.

"Yes, yes that would be great! Thanks!" my mom answered for him. "And Sam, why don't you go get your coat on and grab your purse while I talk to your dad for a minute?"

I nodded and turned to go back to my bedroom. I don't know why my mom always sent me out of the room whenever she wanted to have a "private conversation". You could hear everything going on in our apartment. As I was walking down the hallway, I heard my dad comment, "Wow, your fiancé really manages to squeeze a lot onto that belt." I snickered, trying not to be too loud.

While I was putting my coat and a scarf on, I heard my mom ask about a virtual reality driving range that Dad wanted to open. He answered he was still working on it. I threw on a hat, grabbed my purse, and then stood in the doorway of my bedroom, pretending to be looking at my phone so no one would think I was eavesdropping.

"Hey, do you think Sam and Nick would like Queens?" I heard my dad ask.

_Oh no_, I thought, _not again. _

"Oh no, Larry," my mom said, "You didn't get evicted again did you?"

"I didn't…get evicted," my dad stammered, "I didn't get evicted, no. I didn't get evicted yet. It's like—"

Mom interrupted him, "Look, I don't know how much more of this the kids can take. Every few months it's a new career and a new apartment. If it weren't for the kids I wouldn't say anything, I would stay out of it. It's just too much instability; it's not good for them. Also, remember that Sam is fifteen years old. These years can be a vulnerable time for her and all of this changing around could be emotionally scarring."

I rolled my eyes at Mom's remark. All of this moving around was not "emotionally scarring". Sure it was annoying and inconvenient to help my dad move his stuff and the stuff that Nicky and I kept at his place, but emotionally scarring? No.

Then, Nicky stepped out of his room, his brown coat tucked under his arm, and saw me standing in the doorway. He gave me an odd look and mouthed, "Are you listening to them?" I nodded in response.

"You know, I don't think Nicky and Sam should stay with you for a while," my mom stated.

Dad said "what" at the same time I thought _what_. I glanced over at Nicky. "Go say hi to Dad. Interrupt them," I whispered, giving him a slight push towards the kitchen.

"Just until you get really settled," said Mom.

"Hey Dad!" greeted Nicky. _Whew_, I thought, _problem solved—well temporarily avoided. _

"Hey! Ready to carve it up?" asked Dad.

"Cool," replied Nicky.

"Sam, are you ready?" my dad called.

I walked next to where Nicky was standing. "I'm ready," I said.

* * *

><p>Once Dad and I dropped Nicky off at the ice rink, he and I walked over to the coffee shop. Dad liked to keep it simple, so he ordered a medium-sized coffee. As for me, I didn't like coffee, so I ordered a small hot chocolate with extra whipped cream. He and I sat at one of the tables for two near the windows and we started talking about school. I humored him with stories of my crazy band director and explained some of the experiments we had been doing in Biology.<p>

After we finished that conversation, I took a deep breath and asked, "So, are you looking for a job right now?"

"I'm going over to the Employment Agency tomorrow to see if someone can help me," he said, "but don't worry Sam, I'll be okay."

"I know you will be. I just don't want Mom to let us stop seeing you because of the 'instability'," I said, using air quotes.

"How did you—were you eavesdropping?" he questioned me.

I put my hand over my heart and dropped my jaw. "Me? Eavesdrop? Why I would never!" I cried, pretending to be insulted.

"Yeah right," said dad sarcastically, "you've been eavesdropping ever since you could walk fast enough to dash away if your mom and I caught you."

"Nicky was listening too!" I cried in defense.

"Getting back to what we were talking about," dad said, ignoring my statement, "I'm going to be looking for a job, so don't worry about your mom changing the custody agreement. Besides, you're old enough where she'll listen to what you want to do about seeing me. So, can we agree to just take things as they come for right now?"

I nodded, "Okay."

"All right. We should probably start heading to the rink if we want to beat the crowd and get good seats," suggested Dad.

I rolled my eyes, "Oh yes Dad. I'm sure thousands of people will be there to watch a children's hockey game."

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><p>After the game was over, Dad, Nicky, and I started our walk home and talked about Nicky's game. His team had won and he had managed to score two goals! Let's not go into the embarrassing details of my dad getting hit in the head with a hockey puck after he jumped into the rink to see if Nicky was okay when he took a fall…<p>

"I'm tellin' you man, you really tore it up out there today," praised my dad. "I'm thinking the NHL is a serious possibility."

"I don't really want to be a hockey player anymore," stated Nicky. I glanced down at him. _Since when?_ I thought.

"All right, what do you want to be?" asked Dad.

"A bond trader!"

"A _bond trader?_" asked Dad incredulously.

_You have got to be kidding me. One day at Don's office and he wants to be a bond trader? _I said to myself.

Nicky told my dad, "Yeah, it's what Don does. He took me to his office last week."

"Uh-huh. That's cool. So, you want to dress up in a monkey suit and tie every day? Like an automaton robot," Dad remarked, imitating a robot voice and earning a laugh from Nicky and me. "Trust me, you can't play hockey in a cubicle. Kind of awkward."

"Well, he's got a pretty big office," replied Nicky.

"That's not the point. Come on, you love hockey!"

"I still like it, but bond trading's my fallback."

"Are you kidding me Nicky?" I finally cried, while my dad had said, "Your _fallback_?"

Nicky looked up at me, "What?" he asked.

Before I could reply, Dad held up his hand to stop me, "Wait a minute Nicky. You're too young to have a fallback, okay? Also, where did you even hear that word?"

"He literally just heard it yesterday," I said, "and I had to define it for him."

Nicky ignored me and clarified for Dad, "Mom was talking to Don about all of your different schemes." I winced when he used that word, knowing it would hurt Dad's feelings, even if it was only a little bit.

"She called them schemes?" asked Dad.

Nicky continued, "She said it was time you found a fallback." After a slight pause, he asked, "Are you really moving again?"

At that moment, we stopped walking and stood in the middle of the path. Nicky looked up at Dad, waiting for his answer.

"Umm, I don't know. We'll see. There are some pretty cool places out in Queens," said Dad.

"Yeah," mumbled Nicky, looking down at his shoes.

"Hey Nicky, look at me man. I want to tell you and your sister something. I know things have been kind of up and down with me lately and that it's been hard on you two, but I really feel like my moment's coming and when it does, everything is just going to come together."

I nodded, "I believe in you Dad."

However, Nicky wasn't convinced. "What if you're wrong and you're just an ordinary guy who should get a job?" he asked.

His question lingered in the air as we all silently stood there and stared at each other. I could tell my dad didn't know what to say that, but I didn't either. Finally, Dad hesitantly spoke, "All right well—you know what, we'll figure it out okay? All right. Come on, we got to get you two back to your mom's."

As we resumed our walk, I felt Dad give me an encouraging rub on the shoulder; then I saw him do the same thing to Nicky.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, and subscriptions! The positive response I've gotten so far is amazing! **

**Shout-out to my best friend, Hannah, for giving me feedback on this story and for always supporting me! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the original plot of the Night at the Museum movies. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"Sam! I know what your dad should do!" cried Ashley, setting down her tray across from Justin and me at a cafeteria table. The three of us usually sat together, unless Ashley was sitting with her latest boyfriend and his friends, along with some of our other friends from band or choir or the drama department, which Ashley was heavily involved in.

"What?" I asked, taking a bite from the school's lasagna; it actually wasn't that bad today.

"He should help out with the set design for the musical," suggested Ashley.

I rolled my eyes, "Ashley, all of that is volunteer work. I'm pretty sure my dad would prefer a job that pays. Anyway, he's going to the employment agency today to see if someone can help him find a job."

"That doesn't mean he can't help until he finds a real job!" protested Ashley, "We need everyone that we can get. After all, the musical is a month away. As a matter a fact, if you're

interested—"

"I'm not," I interrupted.

"Why not? I don't understand why you won't audition or at least help out. I keep telling you its right up your alley! You sing beautifully and you took dance classes until freshman year. All you'd need is a little bit of polishing on your acting skills and you'd be all set!"

"Ashley, you know that I just want to focus on my music. Besides, I have no interest in working with Mrs. Layman. That woman is crazy," I declared.

"All drama teachers are crazy; however, Mrs. Layman is good at what she does," Ashley pointed out.

"She does put on great productions, I'll give her that, but she's such a perfectionist. Don't you get tired of rehearsing for six hours after school?"

Ashley shook her head, "We only rehearse that long during production week. Maybe I do get tired physically after some of the rehearsals, but I love doing it."

"Well, I admire you for your dedication. I always enjoy the shows," I complimented.

"Thanks!" beamed Ashely. Then, her attention was drawn by Heather, another person involved in the musical, who was complaining about someone that kept reciting the lines incorrectly or whatever. Don't get me wrong, I always support Ashley during musical season and the other plays that she participates in, but the people in school involved in these productions can get nutty when it's relatively close to show time. It can be annoying for the non-theater people.

"You should at least consider joining the orchestra for the musical," Justin finally spoke. "I've enjoyed doing it and it's a lot less stressful than what the actors have to go through." Justin played the trombone for band and the musical's orchestra. He also played the drums for the percussion class and his older brother taught him the guitar.

"The thought actually has crossed my mind a few times. Maybe I'll audition for it next year."

"Tara's been doing the clarinet for the past couple years, but you're a lot better than she is," said Justin. "I'm sure you'd get in, and it'd be really cool if you did join."

Before I could respond, Nathan Stevens, the class president came over to our table. "Hey guys!" he greeted.

"Hey Nathan, what's up?" asked Ashley.

"I've been making my rounds to try to find more volunteers to make the decorations for the Valentine's Day Dance. We need a lot of help. I know most of you guys are in musical, but what about you Sam? Could you help us out? We work for a couple hours after school every day, but it's not a formal thing. People can just come and go when they can."

Before I could speak, Ashley said, "Sam is already helping with the set for musical."

I glared at her, "No, I'm not." Turning to Nathan I said, "I can't promise anything, but I'll see if I can help."

Nathan grinned at me, "Thanks Sam! I appreciate it." As he walked away, Justin also left after he offered to take up my lunch tray along with his.

When he left, Ashley said, "You know, Justin wants to go the Valentine's Day Dance with you."

I shrugged, "Justin and I go to every dance together, so we can do a group thing with you and whoever your date is. You know it doesn't mean anything."

"It doesn't mean anything to _you_, but it means a lot to him."

"Well, he should know that I don't care for him like that."

"He does, which is why he hasn't asked you out, but he wants to."

"You know, you've been saying this since freshman year."

"Well, that's how long he's liked you."

"I haven't seen any indication of his feelings."

Ashley huffed in annoyance, "Haven't you been listening to me? He hasn't broached the subject of the two of you dating because he knows what your feelings are. He's been playing it cool for a long time now. I'm pretty sure the whole school knows this but you."

I rolled my eyes, "Ashley, you are way too dramatic."

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><p>After school, I had my violin lesson. I always had them every Thursday for forty-five minutes. While I played different pieces for my teacher, I tried to forget about what Ashley told me. It always annoyed me she says that Justin likes me. She's been saying this for almost two years, but I've never believed her. Justin and I were really close friends and that was all. He's never shown me signs that he wanted to be more than friends although Ashley would argue that he subtly has and that I'm too oblivious to notice them; however, I'm not stupid. She just likes to dramatize everything.<p>

Mom picked me up when my lesson was over and dropped Nicky off at hockey practice. When we got home, I remembered that Dad was going to go to the employment agency today. I decided to text him to see how it went.

Sam: _How did it go at the employment agency? _

Larry: _Pretty good, Debbie found a job opening at the natural history museum that's near your apartment. There's no specific information on what the job is, but I'm still going to call tomorrow to schedule an interview. _

Sam: _That's great! Umm…Debbie? _

Larry: _A lady that works at the employment agency. She reminded me of your mom's mom. Same negativity towards my job history. _

Sam: _Hey! Don't speak ill of the dead and especially about Grandma. _

Larry: _She wasn't impressed with Snaptime Industries!_

Sam: _Who? Grandma or Debbie?_

Larry: _Both of them weren't, but I'm particularly talking about Debbie. _

Sam: _Clapping's easier dad. Sorry. _

Larry: _You just say that because you couldn't snap until you were 10. ;P _

Sam: _Ashley couldn't blow up a balloon until she was 12! Anyway, that's not the point. I'll tell Nicky about the job opening. Keep me updated! _

Larry: _Will do. TTYL (That's what they kids say, right?) _

I laughed as I read Dad's last text. I was happy that he found a job prospect and the museum was a pretty cool place.

When Nicky came home from practice I told him about the luck dad had at the employment agency. "Do you think this will work out?" he asked me.

"I definitely hope it will," I replied.

* * *

><p>Monday evening, after dinner, Nicky and I were helping my mom wash dishes when her phone rang. "Can you finish these while I go answer my phone?" she asked. When we nodded, she added, "Oh! Dry the dishes <em>completely<em>. Don't get lazy."

"Yeah _Sam_," teased Nicky, whacking me with the dish towel.

I grabbed the roll of paper towels sitting next to the sink and bopped him on the head with it. "You're the one that's been doing the drying _doofus_!"

That started it. Nicky began to repeatedly smack me with the dish towel in between giggles, so of course I had to repeatedly hit him with the roll of paper towels. We were so caught up in our laughter and our towel war that we didn't notice Mom walk into the kitchen. "Really you two?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"We just love washing dishes!" exclaimed Nicky.

Mom's smile grew and she just shook her head. "Your father wants to talk to the two of you," she said.

I took her phone from her and grabbed Nicky by the arm. "Okay thanks!" I yelled as I dragged him into my room.

"You're still finishing up the dishes!" I heard Mom shout.

Nicky and I jumped onto my bed and I put the phone on speaker. "Hey Dad!" we cried.

"Hey you two! What're you up to?" asked Dad.

"Washing dishes and having a towel war," replied Nicky.

Dad laughed, "Sounds like fun! So I wanted to tell you that I had an interview this morning at the natural history museum and I got the job!"

I gasped, "Oh my gosh Dad! That's fantastic!" Nicky echoed my enthusiasm. "What exactly are you going to do there?" I asked.

"Well, the museum currently has three night guards, but they want to replace them with one new person so they don't have to pay as many salaries. So, I'm going to be the new night guard!" explained Dad.

"Awesome!" cried Nicky.

"Yeah! Anyway, I start Wednesday evening, so I thought we could have an early dinner together before I have to go to work," suggested Dad.

"Sounds like a plan," I replied. Then, I thought of something, "Does this mean that our Wednesday evenings with you will be cut short now?"

"For now, but we'll see how things go. We'll just have to make the most out of our time together," said Dad.

"Okay," I agreed.

"Well, I'll let the two of you go. Finish up the dishes and save the towel war for afterwards," joked Dad.

Nicky and I laughed and the three of us exchanged goodbyes. I was so happy for Dad; he finally found a job! I felt like this was Dad's moment that he described the other day, the moment when everything would come together.


End file.
